Rep. Jay Rodne, who faced withering criticism for Facebook comments he made about Muslims in the wake of the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris, met with representatives of his district’s Muslim community Dec. 30 at a mosque in Snoqualmie.
“I’m hopeful,” said Afshan Ijaz, who attended the meeting. “I hope we did get to him on some of the points.
“We told him we believe ISIS is not Islam.”
Calls to Rodne and his legislative aide were not immediately returned Dec. 31.
The group that met with Rodne included Snoqualmie-area Muslim families, an elementary school teacher and an interfaith leader, according to Arsalan Bukhari, executive director of the Washington chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Ijaz, who lives in Snoqualmie, attended with her husband and two children.
“He started his talk by saying that he has a problem with Islam, and that he believes Islamic values are not compatible with American values,” Ijaz said.
After the attacks in Paris, Rodne wrote a post on Facebook that read: “Obama wants to import 1.5 million muslims into the U.S. This is absolute madness! Islam is incompatible with western civilization! How anyone people need to die? In the interim, Amicans, arm yourselves!!!!!”
The post was later deleted. In an interview with The Issaquah Press and SnoValley Star earlier this month, Rodne said his comments were taken out of context.
“I asked him why he had made those comments that he had made,” Ijaz said. “He said he had been very emotional after the terrorist attacks and was not in the right frame of mind.”
The news media was not invited to attend the meeting.
A Dec. 31 press release from the Council on American-Islamic Relations that described the meeting said Rodne asked a number of questions about Islam and Muslims. The press release said some of Rodne’s questions centered around online reports that have been debunked, including assertions that Muslim enclaves known as “no-go zones” existed in Europe, and the city of Dearborn, Mich., was governed under Islamic law instead of the U.S. Constitution.
“He asked us what we thought about Israel and Palestine,” Ijaz said, “and what we thought about Iraq. We told him that none of that is in our hands. We care about what is happening in Snoqualmie.
“I don’t know his adviser or his mentor, but I hope he replaces that person, because whoever that person is, he is not doing a very good job,” Ijaz said.
Ijaz said Rodne’s Facebook remarks were chilling.
“As a Muslim woman who wears a hijab, I find America and Islam totally aligned, and I’m very comfortable,” she said. “Now, for the first time, I’m apprehensive about wearing my hijab. I never thought it would come to this.”
She was heartened by the reaction of her Snoqualmie neighbors, however.
“I don’t think Rep. Rodne realizes how many people he brought together with his comments,” Ijaz said. “It was overwhelmingly beautiful.”
And she said her experience as a resident of Snoqualmie resident has been nothing but positive.
“We’ve been here almost 10 years,” Ijaz said. “We have never felt any discrimination, not anybody singling us out. People here have been very inclusive and very tolerant.
“I love this place because of that.”
Before the meeting wrapped up, Ijaz said the group presented Rodne with a gift.
“We gave him a copy of the Quran. Just as a goodwill gesture.”
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